Bad Masters
by riot magdaw
Summary: Wes just wants to live a normal life, but with thugs on the streets and lack of police protection, he ends up draged down into the crime world. Only his best friend, an abused eevee, can keep him going now. Based on RB GBC games. No refference to anime.
1. Intro

This is only the introductory chapter (shortness) so there's more coming. I gave this 'M' rating only because of whats to come in later chapters. There's nothing explicit yet.

Bad Masters

Intro Chapter

The sun had long set on Pewter's hills. People, pokemon and animals alike prepared for rest, as they all minded themselves. No kind interfered with the other - pets were pets. Domestic. Part of the humankind... to an extent. And it was the same for domesticated pokemon and their fellow wild cousins. A jigglypuff curled up in a basket by the bed was just like a dog by its master's feet. Loyal, obedient, but with complete trust in him, with an unbreakable bond of friendship.

Unfortunately, this is reality.

To the West of Pewter City Centre stood several abandoned warehouses. Most of them were up for sale, but in such a state any buyer would be hard to bargain. It was a wasted estate, with rubble strewn everywhere, overgrown gutters and wire fences torn down either by wild animals or by tearaways plagued by boredom. The place was grey and lifeless, like a concrete desert. And during the night, it was an un-policed death trap. Many streetlamps had been blown over by winds or had been smashed in by some kind of missile whether it was a rock or a firework, so the surroundings could be pitch dark in places with gangs or pokemon lurking in the shadows.

There was the sound of the rattling of a chained up fence. A voice could be heard. He was yelling, laughing like some kind of drunk, intimidating his surroundings, or just trying to impress his mates; and then the silence closed in again. The wind picked up. A tiny scrap of an aluminium can scraped along the ground, tapping and rattling, until it became lodged in a drain. A squawk echoed off the buildings, like the cry of a baby crocodile, only longer, followed by a deep, animal hiss. Then a dry thud. Another cry. Youth's voices echoed like the insane bawling of hungry hyenas while more shuffling, along with bone-snapping thumps and thuds, as the animal cries grew more desperate and laboured, agonising gurgling sent a chill through the air, before there was one almighty snap... and the cries ceased abruptly.

The voices chuckled, their sickening compliments to each other continued to reverberate through out the estate, even long after their leaving, as the evidence lay battered and dead in a pool of blood, by a withered weed and a steel pipe.

"So then what... "

"So... we sell it on"

"No way"

A young man of about twenty leaned his elbows on the counter, his arms folded and his head bowed in a secretive manner. He had a blue baseball cap on and a pink open-shirt. His curly hair and specs added to the obscurity.

"Have any idea what you're missin out on?" He looked around. Coast clear. He returned back to the young shop assistant. "I've heard of bulbasaur bulbs sellin for over $10,000. Think what we could get with... hear it again? Ten-Thousand Dollars."

The shop assistant looked quite timid. His soft blue eyes and short blond hair revealed this. He stared at his friend, eyebrows slanted at the sides, almost in a saddened look. He shook his head. "No"

"Aww! Come on!"

"Look!" Stopping short to realise the sudden outburst, he lowered his voice. "I have morals. I can't do it. It's just... It's sick." His shoulders were hunched, trying to hide his emotion, but everyone that knew him knew he was a strongly emotional guy.

"Wes, I'm doing you a favour, trust me."

"I trust you to get me arrested... listen, I don't mind what you do, so long as you don't get me involved. I don't want to get mingled with that shit--"

"Haha... you said mingled." A kid exclaimed as he read a comic out of a magazine.

The pink-shirted guy cocked his head. "Listen. Are you gonna buy anythin? If not, piss off!" He continued to stare the kid down, who gawked back before slowly laying down the cartoon magazine and shying away out the door. The pink-shirted guy smiled smugly and turned back to his buddy. "Y'know, I'll let ya think on it. Call me."

Wes sighted and shook his head, eyebrows raised thoughtfully. "Yep... okay..."

"See ya around!"

"Right".


	2. Chapter 1

Bad Masters

Chapter 1

The traffic was never very bad in Pewter. The city centre wasn't much bigger than a village town, but it could still be a hassle to bypass. Many of the buildings were grey, something resembling an old English village inn. A woman walked her groomed growlithe down the street, as Wesley strolled by, she gave him a glance, then a friendly smile and a nod. They didn't know each other. Just it was customary in the community to acknowledge one another.

But Wes didn't smile or nod. He continued on his way, as the part of Pewter he came from were a lot less friendly and he felt uncomfortable by gestures from complete strangers. But he soon forgot about it and went on his way to meet Richard. Wes had already declined Richard's bulbasaur seed idea. Because of it Richard was unable to sell it on, perhaps because he was afraid of having the blame landed entirely on him, but selling produce from an illegally slaughtered animal was a pretty punishable offence in Kanto.

But Richard had a new proposition for Wes. Something that Wes did think he had the heart and guts for. But the closer he got to the abandoned parking lot the more his insides began to churn. The surroundings were grey. Rubble and gravel crunched under his feet as his steps grew slower and more reluctant. The chain around the wire fence rattled in the wind, as dead leaves scratched the concrete, but other than that, it was silent.

The area was empty. Wes's breathing quickened. He could feel his heart begin to race. The entrances to the buildings were nothing more than black shadows, from within no life could be seen. He hated the old industry estate. It was too silent, and there had been many horror stories of fights and killings and such. It was so easy to get away with murder here. A man or pokemon would appear to transform, especially in a group. If the opportunity arose to be savage, they would take it.

Was that what had happened to Richard? He had told Wes to meet him here, where they would further discuss what it was they were to do. Ever since mixing with the gang that patrolled the area Richard had degraded and become unpredictable. Wes was considering upping and leaving. It almost seemed as if the shadows were peering out at him, like someone would stab him in the back if he dared stick around.

It was overcast. The wind rushed into Wes's ears. He regretted not carrying a jacket as the cold was blowing through his t-shirt. Sticking around was becoming unbearable. He scanned his surroundings once more. No sign of life. He checked his phone. No missed calls, no messages. He held his arms as a gust of wind blew by, and he started off walking.

"Wes!"

He stumbled. Startled, he turned around to see Richard amongst a group of 3 other rough-looking guys approach him head on. One of them, about 6ft tall and a large build seemed to walk past Wes where he was out of sight. Wes stood back a bit, so he could see most of them. He tried to appear relaxed but his eyebrows often gave away his fear as they slanted upwards in the middle.

"Hey, Wes…" Richard said quietly, "These are the guys I was talkin about, y'know…" he pointed at the big tall one in the white vest "Bruiser, you got the eevee?"

"Yah…" He flipped out a small, red and white orb and released the pokemon inside. From a ripple of bluish light, the furry dog-like rabbit made an appearance. Its mane was thick and glossy and its eyes peered up at its surroundings, the whites only barely visible at the corners. But its body was shaking and its nose seemed too dry. There was a rasp to its short breaths.

"All you need to do is hold it."

Wes stared down at the animal, which was too afraid to do anything but shiver. Its thick, matted tail, caked in its own dirt, sat underneath the pokemon in a submissive way. Wes watched as the other two, plus Richard, revealed three stones. They were unfamiliar to Wes. One red, one blue, one yellow, all seeming to shine the closer they got to the eevee.

"We're gonna make this pokemon evolve. Do you know what happens when you use all three stones on an eevee?"

Wes shook his head, wide-eyed, terrified.

"Neither do we." Richard smirked.

Then, looking at the eevee, he remembered. That article in the newspaper… Two 'element stones' were used on a pokemon to try and make it evolve. It died. Its body was found horribly disfigured, skin peeling, strange fins and growths gone wrong, fused limbs, spilt insides, a clear and disturbingly graphic image of the creature on the front page had stuck in Wes's mind - a profoundly traumatizing picture. And that had only been two stones… they were about to use three.

He began to sweat at the thought of seeing such a thing again, "You'll kill it!" He blurted in panic.

"Since when did you become the expert, will ya just hold the damn pokemon!"

The eevee sprayed a soft sneeze as the stones approached it. Wes's grip had to tighten on its sides as he could feel its weak and shaking muscles tense. It tried to move backwards, claws scraping on the ground. Its ears flattened on its back as it gave a distressing squeal and it started kicking its back legs to try and escape. Its hind paws thumped the ground until they bled, but Wes tightened his grip further. He looked up to see all three stones glowing together, each one held by each of the guys. The one in the middle with the black spiked hair frowned for a moment, but smiled as the pokemon began to glow.

Wes felt he couldn't speak out. These thugs wouldn't listen. But he wasn't going to take any responsibility for the death of this pokemon. His mouth went dry at the thought of what he might see if the eevee was to mutate.

Suddenly, the link between the stones and the pokemon were broken. The three men, including Richard were startled as a spark flew from the stones and near hit them. Another squeal echoed through out the area. The panicky cries became more hysterical as Wes ran with the eevee held close to his chest. 'This is Insane' He thought.

"What the… !" Richard scrambled to his feet and ran after Wes, Bruiser and the black-haired skinny guy close behind.

Wes sprinted up the broken road, the pokemon in tight embrace as it squirmed. He wasn't used to running a lot. His throat quickly became dry, and his head burned, but Richard and the other two could be close behind. He didn't know, but he didn't want to stop, just in case.

"Wes, you little shit!" Richard yelled after him, "Hand over the fucking pokemon!"

Wes wasn't sure what he had said, but he sounded pissed-the-hell-off. The eevee had quietened a bit, probably exhausted. Wes just kept running. His legs were wobbling from the adrenaline, and he stumbled. Looking round a moment, seeing Richard and Bruiser, he regained his balance and tried to keep on running, but for some reason he couldn't get his legs to move fast enough. It was like he was weighed down.

He looked around again. Two figures stood, one doubled over, a third came out from behind a corner. But still, Wes carried on. Out the estate and to his street, he carried on home. It was the safest place he could be. They would still be after him, but at least at home he would have some time to think things through. He was just lucky home wasn't too far away. A few moments more and they would probably have caught up with him.

Wes lay the eevee down on his kitchen floor. It wasn't the cleanest of places, but by the looks of things that eevee had been used to much filthier environments. As soon as the pokemon sat down it looked up at Wes, still shaking and wheezing. Big black beady eyes glistened, almost looking teary. Wes leaned on his kitchen table, gasping.

"Wha… what am I gonna do with you?


	3. Chapter 2

Bad Masters

Chapter 2

A squeak.

Wes's eyes opened to the golden sunlight shining in his bedroom window. The birds chirped blissfully, bearing comfort to Wes's still unsteady nerves. He rubbed his eyes and checked his watch. 9:24am. He was late for work. Groaning, he curled up under the sheets, exhaling heavily. Then falling silent.

Another, more desperate squeak.

Wes sharply leant up in his bed and lifted his chin, listening carefully. He frowned, but his sleepy, drowsy looking eyes hid his concern in the matter. He listened as tiny tapping of footsteps quickly paced his room. Then they stopped. Then they started again. Wes lifted his sheets so he could see his floor… and remembered there was a new mouth to feed in the household.

He guessed the eevee had always been dependant on people. After that ordeal yesterday… he couldn't grasp why that eevee was so trusting of a big, scary human like him. But as it patiently waited at his side as he poured tuna into a bowl, Wes wondered if maybe it could differentiate between good people and bad people. He knew some pokemon were smart, but were they smart enough for that?

"Here ya go."

He lay the bowl down at the eevee's side and it looked up expectantly. It's big beady eyes were like pits absorbing every emotion on Wes's face. It was reading him carefully, perhaps young and curious of Wes's generosity and kindness. It then looked down at its bowl, sniffed it a little, swaying its head to scan the scent as its nose made its whiskers twitch. Then it looked back at him.

"What?" Wes looked at the bowl. "What's wrong with it? Aww… c'mon, Eve, what is it?" He whined. "Are you vegetarian?" He said as the eevee limped away to be nosy, "… fine…" Then he stopped eating to think about what he'd said. He spun around "Hey, Eve"

The pokemon lifted its ears and faced Wes, but when nothing happened, it resumed raiding a snack cupboard, chewing on the packet for a chocolate bar, which burst and started melting into its mouth, prompting it to chew more. It seemed to enjoy it.

"So you shall be called Eve!" Wes exclaimed in a put-on voice.

Throughout the day Wes had had to be careful of his appearances outside. He had to get dog shampoo as he thought she might have an allergic reaction to human shampoo (couldn't find any 'eevee shampoo' and doubted it existed) and some lettuce and carrots to see if she would eat that, which she did. But she still preferred the chocolate. She seemed obedient enough while he was away… apart from a little accident she had on the carpet, so Wes decided it would be better to go out and get a litter tray for her, too.

That night Wes trusted he could leave Eve alone in his apartment. She watched from a pile of sheets as he exited the front door quietly. She seemed quite sleepy, so all she would need would be a bowl of water and a snack if she got hungry, which lay at her side. Wes felt a little uneasy about leaving her alone, but he reminded himself he wouldn't be out for long.

He held a cheque in his pocket which he had to pay a bill with. As he exited the block the wind ruffled his jacket and there still seemed to be a chill in the air. It was twilight, still overcast giving the sky an eerie dark blue. The street lamps glared their pure white light as he tried to look up, but he decided just to continue on as fast as he could. The town would be safer at least. Twenty minutes. That's all it would take.

Inside the Post Office was warm and the ceiling strip lighting and library-style quiet talking brought a calmness to Wes's nerves. He walked to the back of the queue and noticed in front of him a girl. She could only see the back of her head; her long gleaming blond hair, her slightly tilted black cap, the way she swayed as she switched stance out of boredom… then he looked down. A short, black mini-skirt, black leather high-heel boots, smooth slim legs…

Wes began to pick out every detail about her. Her bangles jangled as she flicked her hair and for a brief moment he noticed her deep brown eyes against a light blue mild eye shadow. Then she leant forward to talk to a friend. Her voice was higher pitched than she'd expected with a slight rasp, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. It was intriguing, but he didn't want to make out he was listening in. He stepped forward just a step.

"Okay! Everyone, on the floor!" She yelled almost in Wes's ear.

Wes fell down out of surprise. He grit his teeth in panic as the partners held their guns to the people on the floor. The male backed up to one of the receptionists while the girl Wes had his eye on held her gun directly at him. She looked up. Then back at him as he knelt on the floor, not daring to move.

"You."

Wes looked up, holding his hand up as if it could shield him from an oncoming bullet. He whimpered, quietly, wincing at any movement if she was going to pull the trigger any moment.

"C'mon, Siren, let's go." The man rushed past. He seemed empty-handed.

Siren nodded at him then returned to Wes. "You're coming with us." Wes stared at her, "Get up!" Wes nearly jumped three feet in the air, hands held high, but head low. His actions were hesitant and hasty as he stumbled over the belt for the queue. She pressed the gun against the back of his head, which quickened him.

"C'mon, hurry!" She yelled to the man.

Wes was confused. Time began to slow down for him. Each step he took, he could hear the rubber scrape the ground as if it was in slow motion. Perhaps he tried to avert his attention from the situation. In any case, he suddenly became unaware of where he was or what he was doing. He watched as the lights from traffic illuminate the ground for a brief moment… but then they were just lights. He didn't think why or where they came and went, they were just there. Then he walked into a dark place.

There was a slam from behind as everything went black. A slight rumble from beneath his feet… and it continued. The surface of the ground swayed, throwing him off balance. He fell and clobbered his head on the wall.

Then he lost all consciousness.


	4. Chapter 3

Bad Masters

Chapter 3

It was cold. An icy breeze seeped in. He didn't know where he was… or if he wanted to know where he was. He just knew his head hurt. That was all. Other than that, he only felt need to sleep. His eyes stung like he had been crying for a long time - but he couldn't remember any reason for feeling emotional. His mind was almost blank.

His head… it hurt. He pressed his hand on the sore part… a lump. Nothing serious. He opened his eyes. A wall. Almost black in the dim light. He stared at it for ages not knowing how to react. He rolled onto his back and looked the other direction. It was like a basement. A small window close to the ceiling was the only source of light.

He clambered onto his feet. Standing up too fast caused a wave of dizziness to come over him, but gathered his senses and looked ahead. There was a door. He looked at it suspiciously, as if something would leap out from behind it and attack. It was a damn scary looking door, anyway. The wood was mouldy and black in places and there was a hatch at around eye-level. This unsettled him… it reminded him of a prison cell.

To the touch it was damp and cold. Wes's fingertips nipped at the touch. At first he thought he might be able to break the door open, but it was more solid than it looked. He assumed worms couldn't live in wood that cold. Then he looked for a keyhole. Perhaps he could try picking at it - like in the movies. But there wasn't one. It must have been on the other side.

So there was no way out that he could see. The window was too small and too high up and there was nothing he could stand on. He tried looking out the hatch, but he couldn't slide it from his side. He banged on the door a little. He heard it echo around the room. Then he waited. Nothing. No reply. Then he tried again, only he did it this time until his fist hurt a little.

"Hello?" His voice echoed off the concrete walls of the cold room.

When there was no reply Wes stumbled back from the door. He rubbed his face with his hand, trying to re-awaken himself so as he could think more clearly. It was difficult but he knew he'd have to think rationally in order to sort himself out of this mess. But it was easier in theory to act calm than in the reality he was stuck in.

Wes ran to the door and banged his fist repeatedly on the splintered wood. He slammed his hand flat to allow for silence. He listened.

"What the hell?" A voice called Wes to attention.

"Hey! Over here!" Wes called. He almost smiled as the clobber of footsteps grew louder and nearer.

The hatch slammed open. "What!" A pair of dark brown eyes met his.

"Hey, pal. Let me out!" Wes tried to keep his cool but the tension was getting to him. "C'mon! What's going on, where am I!"

The man's eyelids drooped in an inconsiderate manner. "You are our hostage," he smirked as Wes could tell by the tensing of his cheeks, "And you are gonna back down and shaddup!".

Wes stumbled back from the volume of the man's voice, but ran back to the door before the man could walk too far away. "Hey, hold on! Please! I need to get home! It's important!"

The man looked round at Wes. He shrugged, not caring, and scratched his stomach before proceeding to walk away from him. Wes thumped on the door, causing it to rattle on its hinges. "I…." Wes stopped sharp. He remembered the robbery.

"I have a rare pokemon!" Wes yelled. He waited, hoping the man would show interest. He stopped for a moment, what seemed to Wes like an eternity. He turned his head around and grinned insanely.

"He he… rare? You're not bullshittin'?" He approached the door again.

"It's in my apartment. Its an eevee." Wes's voice shook. A pain built up in his chest… like the fear they would harm his eevee if they got their hands on it. "But I won't tell you where my apartment is."

The man scowled at him, his bony face only visible as a silhouette in the light from the corridor. "… So… you want to make an agreement?"

Wes nodded quickly. He began to sweat, like this man were about to throw his chances away without a second thought. "Please… I'll give you Eve…" Wes swallowed hard, "… as long as you let me go."

A sinister smile crept along the man's face.

As Wes and two men marched up the apartment block stairs, Wes couldn't help thinking he could be sending Eve to her death. He had nothing planned, as his best ideas were always last minute. But this was one situation he could not escape from. He couldn't even cry for help. Holding a gun to his back the two men would begin to laugh and joke along with Wes as a by-passer made their way down.

Wes couldn't even play along. He stared at the ground as each step passed by just too quickly. He wished he could stop time, or even reverse it. He imagined what might happen to Eve. Best case scenario would be she gets sold on to some wealthy lord who pampers her for the rest of her days. Worst case scenario - the triple evolution stone experiment.

One of the men growled, "That had better not be your place." He nodded to the door which was slightly ajar. The snib had been hacked out. A warm breeze blew out from within.

Wes stopped and stared at his door. He just couldn't believe it. Everything that had happened was all too much. For this to have happened Wes felt was too cruel. He stumbled forward, not quite seeing straight. He shook his head and ran in. The place was a tip. Eevee hair lay everywhere. Broken glass, stains, a door off the hinges.

But no sign of Eve.

"So, pal. Where's the fucking pokemon!"


	5. Chapter 4

:D Yay! Someone likes it! Thanx! Let me know if I slip up.

Bad Masters

Chapter 4

He didn't even realise he'd left a couple of thugs standing idol up the stairs. Wes was only concerned for one thing: His Eve. She was so small, helpless, frightened… in the hands of thieves. He stood outside the block. The wind blew his white t-shirt, causing it to ripple from time to time. But he couldn't feel the cold. He just felt the sting of guilt, stabbing at his heart.

She was nowhere to be seen. Even if she were near by he couldn't see her locked in a room or stuffed in a backpack.

"Hey, kid!" A voice could be faintly heard behind the howling of the wind. Wes's eyes squinted from the breeze, not even noticing the anger in the man's voice.

Something thumped hard on Wes's back. He stumbled slightly, but it barely caught his attention. He blinked and looked around. One of the thugs overshadowed Wes, who had barely any time at all to react before feeling the full force of a fist smacking into his cheek.

"Where's our fucking pokemon you little shit!" The other thug strolled behind Wes. But Wes didn't move. He couldn't feel the left side of his face. He reckoned it wasn't much better than the agony to come after the tingling subsided. He tried to concentrate on the pain, wishing he could blot out the situation that way.

A couple of hard-ass thieves… stupid, but tough, were about to rip Wes limb from limb. His eevee could be in danger because of him. His apartment had just been trashed. He just wished he could go invisible… or turn back time even. Turn back to when he got the eevee from Rich…

…Richard.

"Shit." Wes mumbled. His eyes darted about into thin air, as if the past couple of day's events were flashing in front of him. "It was Richard."

"Who the fuck is Richard!" The short bony guy from the cell exclaimed.

"He has Eve. Fuck!" Wes hid his face with his hands. "Jesus shit…" Wes looked around. Realising who had Eve, he knew exactly where to go to find her again.

"Richard?" The bigger-built guy who had punched Wes earlier stood closer to him. He tilted his head like he would do to a small child in order to meet Wes's height. Wes looked up, eyes like saucers from both excitement and fatigue. The guy smiled warmly and crossed his arms, "Who is Richard?"

Wes stared at him, shaking, then glanced over to the smaller guy, then back at the tall black guy. Wes gulped. His mouth was dry, but he told him, "He doesn't live far from here." He spoke also to the bony guy, "He stole the eevee."

The two men looked at each other. The bony guy frowned, putting on an unsure mouth. Wes noticed their disbelief, "I'm sure of it! I know he would doit!" The taller manlooked at the ground then back at Wes. "Show us."

The sun glared down, illuminating the concrete. It was blinding, in such conditions shadows seemed near black. Wes trudged in lead, no longer subject to a gunshot wound, but still at risk if he were to try and run. He didn't want a kick in, either. The place was still empty enough to get away with murder.

Wes exhaled deeply. As he walked he noticed the cracks in the concrete, widening by day because of the heat, giving off a bitter smell of hot tarmac. Apart from a couple of junkies conversing on the sidewalk and some wild plants invading here and there, the area was devoid of life.

Except from the very man he was looking for.

Wes scowled in the glare of the sun, trying to make completely sure it was Richard. That Bruiser guy was with him, too. Wes and Richard locked glances. Richard appeared to talk to Bruiser, who stayed put as Richard approached. He was wearing his curly hair out abandoning his cap, instead sporting a pair of red-tinted shades. He smiled as he neared Wes.

"Hey Wes." He said quietly, smugly, hands on his waist.

Wes's heart began to race. Fury towards his supposed friend could only be expressed one way, as he grit his teeth and tried to hold back his emotion. It was apparent he couldn't as his breathing became heavy and his face screwed up from the building pressure. He couldn't take it.

He lashed out with his fist, slamming it square in the middle of Richard's face. On the ground, Richard couldn't fend off the onslaught of fists to his face and gut, just as he couldn't find a moment to cough off the short-windedness from more punches. Amongst the scuffle Wes's cussing could only barely be heard. Wes was literally dragged by the bony thug across the ground and dragged to his feet only to have a go at him.

Richard was pinned up against a lamp post, held by his shirt collar. Fresh, dark blood gushed down his nose and past his mouth as he tried to spit it out. His expensive shades were no more, or at least no more than mangled metal and glass shards on the ground. His nose was out of shape, puffy and bruised.

"Someone tells me you have an eevee." The big guy strained over the yelling between Wes, the small guy and Bruiser who had decided to intervene.

Richard gasped as his sides hurt. He sprayed blood as he spoke, "That's my eevee. Whaddya want with it!" He growled.

The black man banged Richard's back into the post, causing him to yelp and squirm. A tear fell down from his bruised eye. He whimpered what sounded like sobs. "Listen to me." Richard fell silent but he still scowled from the pain. "If…" The big guy tried to get his attention by looking at him directly. "… if you tell me where that eevee is, you won't get any more fucked up a face than you already got. Right?"

Richard panted as waves of pain in his chest caused him to collapse in a heap, blood splattering on the concrete staining it a dark brown. The big guy looked over to where Wes, Bruiser and the other thug were squabbling loudly, but not coming to much physical contact. Wes's voice was beginning to sound hoarse. The day's events were taking their toll.

"He… here…." Richard held out a shiny red and white ball. The big thug snatched it from him and looked about.

"Lloyd, lets get outta here!" He yelled.

A blinding light. Such a Flash had everyone taken by surprise, and once it ended, a purple haze had slightly blocked everyone's vision. The big guy yelled as he covered his eyes. In the disabling moment, Wes took the opportunity to grab the ball clean from his carelessly outstretched arm.

"Damn, Zack, he got the pokemon!" Lloyd bolted past.

His chase didn't last long. There was another, less blinding flash. In an instant, Lloyd dropped to the ground, smoke blasted from an impact point on his back. Sparks flew from his body which started to spasm. Wes turned around to witness the horror of the man, eyes wide open, twitching and smoking, in moments completely cold dead.

"Birro, birro!" An animal noise chattered angrily, something similar to a squirrel.

Everybody stared not at the dead man, but at the source of the sound. Bruiser stood and smiled behind the smoke, arms folded over. His big jaw grinned as his eyes (lacking in eyebrows) stayed their usual threateningly grumpy. His pokemon stood at his foot on all fours, jagged lightening bolt tail raised in battle stance.

"He, he, he, he…." He chuckled deeply. "Anyone dare move? My pikachu shall send a thundershock up yer ass…"

Everybody was completely silent. Wes's heart raced, but he remained silent. His life was more important than his temper right now. There wasn't any movement from anyone as they waited expectantly.

Bruiser closed his mouth but kept his grin. "Good. Now, Wes." Wes stared back, fearing for his life. He feared he would send that pikachu onto him. "Hand over the eevee….. Slowly."

The second worst thing he could have said. All the things he had done for this eevee were coming back to him. Everything about her he had defended and tried to keep safe from harm, and how they bonded almost immediately. It had only been two days, but it had been eventful. There was just too much to loose. Losing Eve meant losing the first true friend Wes ever had.

"No."

Everybody stared at Wes. They all had that look on their faces edging him to hand over the pokemon. They were all at ransom. He knew none of them cared for him.

"I won't hand her over."

Bruiser growled and clenched his mugsome fists. Veins popped out from the backs of his hands.

"But I'll challenge you."


	6. Chapter 5

Bad Masters

Chapter 5

Wes's fingers rubbed the metal of the pokeball. It was soaking. Suddenly the ball felt very slippery, and he clenched tighter. A belated moment of consideration. A premature decision. He wondered about the words he had just blurted out. He had just challenged a pokemon trainer to a battle. Without a licence… A very punishable crime.

Not daring to look Bruiser in the eye Wes awaited his reply. He didn't know why he had just gone and challenged him. Perhaps… he was afraid. He thought… 'coward'… and winced at his own disgust. Pondering just a few seconds forced him to guess he was using Eve as a shield. All Wes wanted to do was escape the situation. Now he felt deep down in a hole, just a whole load of pain to fill it.

"Heh." Bruiser husked. Wes looked up at him sharply. "You wanna fight me…" He rolled up his shirt sleeves.

Wes dropped the pokeball by his feet. It bounced a musical 'plonk' before rolling on the tarmac, settling at a stop. Then it burst open, sending Wes about three feet back out of surprise. He looked up at Bruiser cautiously, eyes widened.

"I meant… a pokemon battle." Wes said bluntly.

Eve, just hatched from the ball, scratching her ear with her hind paw, stopped suddenly and looked up at Wes curiously. Her head turned, ruffling her thick mane. Maybe she hadn't heard right. Wes didn't know if she understood human speak, but only had to assume. She knew what Wes meant the moment he looked down at her, the panic in his glazed eyes said it all.

"Sweeee….?" Eve's long ears hung back behind her head. She hunched, looking round at everybody else. Bruiser especially, who stared back at her, grinning. He was so big. She could almost feel the shadow he cast down on her. And the smell was like bad onions and stale smoke. She didn't want to go near him… ever again. Being his previous pokemon, Eve knew what he was like.

"So we make a deal, eh?" Bruiser grunted. Wes didn't want to hear it. He'd had enough of deals. Deals were what had gotten him into the situation he was in. That and bad decision-making. But he had no choice. He would be told. "I win? I get that eevee." He sneered down at Eve. "But if that eevee wins… you get both pokemon."

"I don't trust you." Wes warned. "Lets just get this fight over with. If Eve wins just let us go."

Bruiser jutted his jaw hesitantly, but shrugged it off. There was no reason to be afraid of a little mutt like that eevee. Wes twitched when he realised Bruiser was about to give his command.

"Pikachu, go get 'im." He pointed towards Eve, hunched oblivious to the pikachu's actions.

"Bichizzo!" The rodent chirped sharply, scampering towards Eve who turned round and bolted away.

Both Eve's and Pikachu's ears were flat on their backs. Wes ran up towards them, worried they would run out of sight. But there was no need. Pikachu leapt at Eve and gave her a thorough kick in her mid-back, causing her to roll over, stopping on her belly. She looked at the pikachu, crackling as it hissed at her, raising its tail and ears as if she were about to attack again.

"A pikachu that knows Fake-Out?" Zack mumbled to himself, stunned.

"Eve!" Wes cried, voice heightened in pitch. "Eve, do something" His voice wobbled.

Eve watched hopelessly as the pikachu honed in for a quick attack, ramming its electrically charged body against hers, causing her to tumble over yet again. Laying on the ground, she watched as Bruiser laughed insanely, his mouth gaping and his stubbled double chin wobbling something nasty.

"Chizzo!" Pikachu taunted, flapping her ears up and down. It was unnaturally pumped up, like it had been drugged.

Eve rose to her feet, her limbs tingly, shaking from the shock of Pikachu's static. Her back leg involuntarily gave way causing her to flop to the ground again. Wes watched as Eve fell victim to a thundershock. Her body went rigid as the electricity tore through every muscle in her body. It wasn't burning, but like a severely bad case of pins and needles all over. And she couldn't move an inch.

Pikachu let go, letting Eve drop to the ground in a puddle of her own urine. She lay still. Her little beady eyes showed some white in the corner as, exhausted, she could only stare. Her sides rose up and down erratically. She shook violently, giving in to her paralysis. She couldn't feel any part of her body as she was unaware of the constant twitching. If only she could cause herself to faint…

"Eeeeve!" Wes screamed. "Eve!" He felt his knees weaken. They hurt. His mouth began to taste funny, as he could feel the sickness rise in is stomach.

"Chizzz….." Pikachu hissed, charging up its power. It began to glow, as everyone around felt the pull of its energy. White streaks zipped into its body as it became more and more electrically charged. Its cheeks bulged. It looked as if it could explode. Eve was laying next to it, being weakened as the energy was literally sucked out of her.

Wes watched on. This next thundershock had the potential to kill Eve; tear her up by the sheer energy. No, Wes couldn't imagine it. This was the first soul he had ever felt the need to protect… like she was his child. She was still a baby as she was, or at least not fully grown. She was his, and she was a child. His child…

"You can't…" Wes mumbled, shaking.

"Huh?" Bruiser grunted, trying to hear beyond the crackling of electricity.

"You can't kill her!" Wes growled, still motionless.

Bruiser grinned, surprised at Wes's guts to at least speak up. But if he half expected Bruiser to quit over a droplet of emotion, he'd be disappointed. "Fucking pussy, Give in?" Wes knew Bruiser meant he wanted him to hand over Eve.

"Bichizzz…" Pikachu cried, ready to release its energy. Eve looked on, not knowing where her trainer was. She felt saddened. She needed him.

A shadow obscured her vision. A tall shadow, that of a human's. But she was tired. She lay her little head down on her paws, hoping the onslaught of pain had ended. Even if she ended up with Bruiser again, she could rest up a little.

But that smell… it wasn't like Bruiser. She could smell… chewing gum? Also present was a slight musky heat of exhaustion… but this man wasn't Bruiser. She looked up to see who it was standing in front of her. He was standing with his back to her as if he was shielding her. Trying to gather energy to stand up, she realised what her new master was doing, a and didn't like it.

"Stop!" Wes cried as he startled the pikachu. A single spark leapt from surprised cheeks and dispersed.

The pikachu growled, furious. The static in its fur snapped as it stood on end from the sheer anger. It's incisors shone, slightly transparent from their size, and Wes knew it wasn't happy. The pikachu's bulging cheeks crackled as they turned yellow, preparing to thundershock. Eve screeched. Her tiny voice ripped through Wes. It was painful, but a new feeling had came over him.

"Eve…" He choked.

Wide-eyed Eve squealed, feeling Wes's pain as a single string of electricity burst its way into his body. His entire body tensed as it couldn't handle the thundershock, twitching, smouldering, before slamming hard on the concrete. Right in front of Eve. He blinked… maybe… or at least Eve hoped she saw that essential sign of life.

"K'Chizzz…" The pikachu sighed, satisfied.

Pikachu was happy. Eve watched as the pikachu grinned at her cruelly. Then she looked at her fallen master. After the smoke had stopped slipping from him, his twitching became discrete. Eve trotted worriedly up to Wes and put her paws on him, trying to alert his attention.

"You fucking bastard…" Richard growled, still bleeding. "You killed him…"

"Sweee!" Eve raised her ears, looking directly at Richard. Could what he said… be true? No… Wes would survive a thundershock. Anyone would…

Except for a… A human…

"Shit, there's something wrong with that pikachu…" Zack, standing even further away, mumbled to himself.

Eve looked at Wes, who showed no response to her feeble attempts to revive him. But all she could do was shake him, hoping perhaps he would awaken, like from a sleep. Then… the pikachu worn out, they could run away. They would live together, pokemon and master, and everything would be fine.

But Wes didn't respond in any way. Wes's burdens were now all on her, that pikachu knowing it was responsible and smiling. That pikachu that bullied her as a pup, stole her toys she had scrounged, taken her food, beat her, made Bruiser disrespect her…

And destroyed her chance of a new master. A kinder master who loved her, fed her and bathed her. Her life looked as if it would turn up for her. Then that little yellow rat came along again and destroyed the best thing to date that had come her way.

No more.

A burning sensation built its way up within Eve. Something painful at first, which subsided as her rage took over. She felt as if she were on fire, as if she could actually see the flames hugging her body. But that wasn't important. Her rage wasn't important. It was how she was going to use it. She felt focused, ready for battle. She'd never felt this way before, but the heat in her limber body was going to be needed against her worst enemy.

Bruiser looked on in horror as the eevee… no… that was no eevee. No eevee could send his pikachu fleeing for its life, nor could it use those attacks.

Eve opened her tiny mouth, tilting her head back to gather as much energy as possible before releasing her attack. Pikachu didn't know what to expect. It was just afraid. Feeling a burning, like ashes on its back, it sped off as the embers burned into its skin. It was literally gone in seconds, in the distance, as Bruiser wasn't far behind, trying to catch up with his prized pikachu.

"Wes…" Eve looked as the black man lifted Wes's head up. Dazed, Wes looked about himself, trying to suss out what had just happened. Richard…? Obviously gone. No sign of him. And Bruiser? Wes felt a slight floating feeling in his head as he tried to sit up properly. He was only forced to lay back down as a little wet tongue playfully attacked his face.

"Heh, hey Eve."

"Wes." Zack towered over them as Wes tried to conceal his laughter. "Hear that?"

Wes listened as Eve, now cooled off and back to normal, trotted about on the tarmac quite the thing. She smiled, waving her long ears side-to-side as she danced her pretty victory dance. A slight whirring sound could be heard, but Eve was too happy to care.

"Cops." Wes mumbled.

"C'mon, kid. Follow me." Zack ran into the stairway of an apartment block. Wes looked around before following him, carrying Eve in his arms.

"Wes!" Zack called as he continued up the stairs. Wes followed, feeling Eve struggle a little. She whimpered, anxious.

They tip-toed along the landing before stopping, hearing the slamming of car doors outside. They were both silent. Eve even tried to keep quiet, her wet nose making a slight wheezing sound as she tried to keep her breaths to a minimum.

"Listen, kid…" Zack whispered, deep breathed, "…You're in trouble. We're all in trouble." Zack watched as Wes nodded quickly. "And that pokemon you have… is very valuable. It's worth a shit-load, you got me? That's no ordinary eevee." Wes nodded again and listened closely to Zack. "It became a flareon for a short time. Something with abilities like that… you need to protect."

Zack turned to face Wes closely, "If you offer her abilities to us when we need it we can protect her." Wes frowned at Zack's words "You keep her, okay? But in joining us we'll protect you both."

There was a moment of complete silence. Wes looked down at Eve who was silent, panting a little. He looked back up with that sad look on his face, realising he had no choice. "You're from Team Rocket, aren't you?"

Zack backed up a little, knowing if Wes knew too soon…

"It's okay." He hugged Eve. "If it keeps her safe… I'll join you."


End file.
